1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SE 'Fintail' Saloon

Description

In 1963 the Mercedes W112 was the top of the range sedan in their extensive model line-up, equivalent to a current day S560. Most of the fintail or 'heckflosse' models that were sold in Australia were produced from CKD components however being the top of the range the 300SE was entirely German built and fully imported.
The W112 model was produced in extremely limited numbers with 5202 sedans produced in total over a 6 year production run, costing approximately 6 times that of an equivalent period Holden when new. The sedans have always been a rare sight but today are incredibly hard to find as many were cannibalised over the years to keep the increasingly valuable coupe and convertible models on the road. The 300SE featured a detuned and modified version of the fuel-injected straight 6 found in the 300SL Gullwing, arguably one of the most famous sports cars of all time, producing the same power, 170bhp at the time. Because of this the 300SE was not your regular 4 door sedan of the era. The model’s durability and speed were utlised by the factory to great effect particularly in long distance rallying events where the 300Se’s power, handling and overall speed made it very difficult to beat. 300SE’s famously finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in the 1963 Grand Prix of Argentina, run over almost 5000kms of mixed tar, gravel, snow covered mountain and desert roads, winning against a field of 268 cars. The winner of this event now resides in the Mercedes-Benz historic factory collection and is considered one of their 'halo' racing vehicles of the 1960’s. The model also competed in the European Touring Car series famously winning the Nürburgring 6 hour with Eugen Bohringer at the wheel and also the Macau Touring car Grand Prix in 1964. Replica’s of these racers can be regularly seen in Europe at notable events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed.